CITY OF SAN JOSÉ
literally . The city runs the largest tertiary treatment facility west of the Mississippi , discharging into just a few feet of water , meaning what it produces has to be exceptionally clean . It ’ s a mission that has many moving parts and represents what can be achieved if collective minds are willing .
“ We are now diverting about 20 million gallons a day into our South Bay Water Recycling system ,” enthuses Kerrie . “ It has become one of the state ' s largest recycled water systems , and we ' re looking to continue expanding it in order to supply all the large parks , schools and golf courses in the community . Getting those big hitters not to use portable water is a key initiative .”
San José ’ s recycled water operation has also been boosted by the sustainability vibe sweeping through the city – to such an extent that it no longer has to be subsidised and is , essentially , ‘ running on its own ’, which is very rare for such a system . Kerrie and her team are hoping for an expansion soon as the current operation has been so popular it is oversubscribed .
From a wastewater standpoint , San José is looking to hit the ultimate home run of powering itself . “ We are now about 65 % selfpowered and , in the next 5-6 years , we ' ll get to 100 %. It ’ s vitally important that we ' re using all of our own systems efficiently and also installing systems to power ourselves .”
“ BY BEING A RESIDENT OF SAN JOSÉ , YOU HAVE TO BE ACTING SUSTAINABLY AT ALL TIMES . OTHERWISE , SOMEONE ' S GOING TO CALL YOU OUT !”
KERRIE ROMANOW CHIEF SUSTAINABILITY OFFICER , CITY OF SAN JOSÉ
188 September 2021